Calvin, Commentary on Micah, Part 2
(... continued from part 1)
Lecture Eighty-second.
Micah 1:6
Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, [and] as
plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof
into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
Though Micah intended especially to devote his services to the
Jews, as we have said yesterday, he yet, in the first place, passes
judgment on Samaria; for it was his purpose afterwards to speak more
fully against Jerusalem and the whole of Judea. And this state of
the case ought to be borne in mind; for the Prophet does not begin
with the Israelites, because he directs his discourse peculiarly to
them; but his purpose was briefly to reprove them, and then to
address more especially his own people, for it was for this purpose
that he was called. Now, as he threatens destruction to Samaria and
the whole kingdom of Israel on account of their corrupted forms of
worship, we may hence learn how displeasing to God is superstition,
and that he regards nothing so much as the true worship of his name.
There is no reason here for men to advance this position - that they
do not designedly sin; for God shows how he is to be worshipped by
us. Whenever, then, we deviate in any thing from the rule which he
has prescribed, we manifest, in that particular, our rebellion and
obstinacy. Hence the superstitious ever act like fools with regard
to God, for they will not submit to his word, so as to be thereby
alone made wise.
And he says, "I will set Samaria as an heap of the field", that
is, such shall be the ruins that they shall differ nothing from the
heaps of the fields: for husband men, we know, when they find stones
in their fields, throw them into some corner, that they may not be
in the way of the slough. Like such heaps then, as are seen in the
fields, Samaria would be, according to what God declared. He then
says, that the place would be empty, so that vines would be planted
there; and, in the third place, that its stones would be scattered
through the valley; as when one casts stones where there is a wide
plain, they run and roll far and wide; so would be the scattering of
Samaria according to what the Prophet says, it was to be like the
rolling of stones in a wide field. He adds, in the fourth place, "I
will uncover her foundations", that is, I will entirely demolish it,
so that a stone, as Christ says, may not remain on a stone, (Matth.
24: 2.) We now perceive the import of the words; and we also
perceive that the reason why the Prophet denounces on Samaria so
severe a judgment was, because it had corrupted the legitimate
worship of God with its own inventions; for it had devised, as we
well know, many idols, so that the whole authority of the law had
been abolished among the Israelites. It now follows -
Micah 1:7
And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all
the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols
thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered [it] of the hire of an
harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.
The Prophet goes on with the same subject, and says, that the
ruin of Samaria was at hand, so that its idols would be broken, and
also, that its wealth would be destroyed which she had gathered by
illegitimate means, and which she thought to be the reward of her
idolatry. But God mentions idols here expressly by his Prophet, in
order to confirm what we noticed yesterday - that the cause of
vengeance was, because Samaria had abandoned itself to ungodly forms
of worship, and had departed from the Law. That the Israelites might
then understand the cause for which God would so severely punish
them, the Prophet here makes express mention of their graven images
and idols. God is not indeed angry with stones and wood; but he
observes the abuse and the perversion of them, when men pollute
themselves by wickedly worshipping such things. This is the reason
why God says here that the graven images of Samaria would be broken
in pieces, and that its idols would be destroyed.
With regard to the wages, the Prophet no doubt designed to
stamp with disgrace all the wealth of Samaria. "'Etnan" is properly
a gift or a present. But as he twice repeats it, and says, that what
Samaria possessed was the "reward of an harlot", and then, that it
would "return to the reward of an harlot", he, in the first place, I
have no doubt, upbraids the Israelites, because they, after the
manner of harlots and strumpets, had heaped together their great
riches: and this was done by Jeroboam, who constructed a new form of
worship, in order to secure his own kingdom. The Israelites then
began to flourish; and we also know how wealthy that kingdom became,
and how proud they were on account of their riches. As, then, the
Israelites despised the kingdom of Judah, and thought themselves in
every way happy, and as they ascribed all this, as we have seen in
Hosea, to their superstitions, Micah speaks here according to their
view of things, when he says, "Idolatry has been gainful to you,
this splendor dazzles your eyes; but your rewards I have already
doomed to the burning: they shall then be burnt, and thus perish."
Hosea also, as we have seen, made use of the same comparison, - that
the children of Israel felicitated themselves in their impiety, like
a harlot, who, while she gains many presents from those who admire
her beauty, seems not conscious of her turpitude and baseness: such
were the Israelites. The Prophets therefore does not say, without
reason, Behold, your rewards, by burning, shall perish, or, be
consumed with fire. Why so? Because ye have gathered them, he says,
from the reward of an harlot, and all this shall return to the
reward of an harlot.
This last clause ought to be restricted to the gifts or wealth
of Samaria; for it cannot properly be applied to idols or graven
images. The import of the whole then is that God would be the
avenger of idolatry with regard to the city of Samaria and the whole
kingdom of Israel. Besides, as the Israelites boasted that their
ungodly forms of worship turned out to their happiness and
prosperity, God declares that the whole of this success would be
evanescent, like that of the harlot, who amasses great wealth, which
soon vanishes away: and we see that thus it commonly happens.
Some explain the passage thus, - that the gifts, with which the
Israelites adorned their temples, would return to be the reward of
an harlot, that is, would he transferred to Chaldea, and that the
Babylonians would, in their turn, adorn with them their idols. But
this view is not suitable to the place; for the Prophet does not say
that what Samaria had gathered would be a prey or a spoil to enemies
but that it would perish by fire. He speaks therefore, proverbially
when he says that the produce, from the reward of an harlot, would
return to be the reward of an harlot, that is, that it would become
nothing; for the Lord sets a curse on such riches as strumpets gain
by their baseness, while they prostitute themselves. Since, then,
the whole of such wealth is under the curse of God, it must
necessarily soon pass away like smoke: and this, in my view, is the
real meaning of the Prophet. It now follows -
Micah 1:8,9
Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will
make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
For her wound [is] incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come
unto the gate of my people, [even] to Jerusalem.
The Prophet here assumes the character of a mourner, that he
might more deeply impress the Israelites; for we have seen that they
were almost insensible in their torpidity. It was therefore
necessary that they should be brought to view the scene itself,
that, seeing their destruction before their eyes they might be
touched both with grief and fear. Lamentations of this kind are
everywhere to be met with in the Prophets, and they ought to be
carefully noticed; for we hence gather how great was the torpor of
men, inasmuch as it was necessary to awaken them, by this form of
speech, in order to convince them that they had to do with God: they
would have otherwise continued to flatter themselves with delusions.
Though indeed the Prophet here addresses the Israelites, we ought
yet to apply this to ourselves; for we are not much unlike the
ancient people: for however God may terrify us with dreadful
threatening, we still remain quiet in our filth. It is therefore
needful that we should be severely treated, for we are almost void
of feeling.
But the Prophets sometimes assumed mourning, and sometimes they
were touched with real grief: for when they spoke of aliens and also
of the enemies of the Church, they introduce these lamentations.
When a mention is made of Babylon or of Egypt, they sometimes say,
"Behold, I will mourn, and my bowels shall be as a timbrel." The
Prophets did not then really grieve; but, as I have said, they
transferred to themselves the sorrows of others, and ever with this
object, that they might persuade men that God's threatenings were
not vain, and that God did not trifle with men when he declared that
he was angry with them. But when the discourse was respecting the
Church and the faithful, then the Prophets did not put on grief. The
representation here is then to be taken in such a way as that we may
understand that the Prophet was in real mourning, when he saw that a
dreadful ruin was impending over the whole kingdom of Israel. For
though they had perfidiously departed from the Law, they were yet a
part of the holy race, they were the children of Abraham, whom God
had received into favor. The Prophet, therefore, could not refrain
from mourning unfeignedly for them. And the Prophet does here these
two things, - he shows the fraternal love which he entertained for
the children of Israel, as they were his kindred, and a part of the
chosen people, - and he also discharges his own duty; for this
lamentation was, as it were, the mirror in which he sets before them
the vengeance of God towards men so extremely torpid. He therefore
exhibits to them this representation, that they might perceive that
God was by no means trifling with men, when he thus denounced
punishment on the wicked and such as were apostates.
Moreover, he speaks not of a common lamentation, but says, I
will wail and howl, and then, I will go spoiled. The word "sholal"
some take as meaning one out of his mind or insane, as though he
said, "I shall be now as one not possessed of a sound mind." But as
this metaphor is rather unnatural, I prefer the sense of being
spoiled; for it was the custom with mourners, as it is well known,
to tear and to throw away their garments from them. I will then go
spoiled and naked; and also, I will make wailing, not like that of
men, but like the wailing of dragons: I will mourn, he says, as the
ostriches are wont to do. In short, the Prophet by these forms of
speech intimates, that the coming evil would by no means be of an
ordinary kind: for if he adopted the usual manner of men, he could
not have set forth the dreadfulness of God's vengeance that was
impending.
He afterwards subjoins, that the wounds vault be grievous; but
he speaks as of what was present, "Grievous", he says, "are the
wounds". Grievous means properly full of grief; others render it
desperate or incurable, but it is a meaning which suits not this
place; for "'anushah" means what we express in French by
douloureuse. The wounds, then, are full of grief: for it came,
(something is understood; it may suitably be referred to the enemy,
or, what is more approved, to the slaughter) - It came then, that
is, the slaughter, to Judah; it has reached to the gate of my
people, even to Jerusalem itself. He says first, to Judah, speaking
of the land; and then he confines it to the cities; for when the
gates are closed up against enemies, they are forced to stop. But
the Prophet says, that the cities would be no hindrance to the
enemies to approach the very gates and even the chief city of Judah,
that is, Jerusalem; and this, we know, was fulfilled. It is the same
then as though he said that the whole kingdom of Israel would be so
laid waste, that their enemies would not he content with victory,
but would proceed farther and besiege the holy city: and this
Sennacherib did. For after having subverted the kingdom of Israel,
as though it was not enough to draw the ten tribes into exile, he
resolved to take possession of the kingdom of Judah; and Jerusalem,
as Isaiah says, was left as a tent. We hence see that the
threatening of the Prophet Micah were not in vain. It now follows -
Micah 1:10
Declare ye [it] not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of
Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
The Prophet seems here to be inconsistent with himself: for he
first describes the calamity that was to be evident to all; but now
he commands silence, lest the report should reach the enemies. But
there is here nothing contradictory; for the evil itself could not
be hid, since the whole kingdom of Israel would be desolated, the
cities demolished or burnt, the whole country spoiled and laid
waste, and then the enemies would enter the borders of Judah: and
when Jerusalem should have been nearly taken how could it have been
concealed? No, this could not have been. There is no wonder then
that the Prophet had referred here to a solemn mourning. But he now
speaks of the feeling of those who were desirous of hiding their own
disgrace, especially from their enemies and aliens: for it is an
indignity which greatly vexes us, when enemies taunt us, and upbraid
us in our misfortunes; when no hope remains, we at least wish to
perish in secret, so that no reproach and disgrace should accompany
our death; for dishonor is often harder to be borne, and wounds us
more grievously, than any other evil. The Prophet then means that
the Israelites would not only be miserable, but would also be
subject to the reproaches and taunts of their enemies. We indeed
know that the Philistine were inveterate in their hatred to the
people of God; and we know that they ever took occasion to upbraid
them with their evils and calamities.
This then is the meaning of the Prophet, when he says, "In Gath
declare it not, by weeping weep not"; as though he said, "Though
extreme evils shall come upon you, yet seek to perish in silence;
for you will find that your enemies will gape for the opportunity to
cut you with their taunts, when they shall see you thus miserable."
He then forbids the people's calamities to be told in Gath; for the
Philistine usually desired nothing more than the opportunity to
torment the people of God with reproaches.
It now follows, "In the house of Aphrah, in dust roll thyself".
There is here an alliteration which cannot be conveyed in Latin: for
"'afrah" means dusty, and "'afar" is dust. That city attained its
name from its situation, because the country where it was, was full
of dust; as if a city were called Lutosa, muddy or full of clay; and
indeed many think that Lutetia (Paris) had hence derived its name.
And he says, Roll thyself in dust, in the house full of dust; as
though he had said that the name would be now most suitable, for the
ruin of the city would constrain all neighboring cities to be in
mourning to cast themselves in the dust; So great would be the
extremity of their evils.
But we must ever bear in mind the object of the Prophet: for he
here rouses the Israelites as it were with the sharpest goads, who
entertained no just idea of the dreadfulness of God's vengeance, but
were ever deaf to all threatening. The Prophet then shows that the
execution of this vengeance which he denounced was ready at hand;
and he himself not only mourned, but called others also to mourning.
He speaks of the whole country, as we shall see by what follows. I
shall quickly run over the whole of this chapter; for there is no
need of long explanation, as you will find.
Micah 1:11
Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the
inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he
shall receive of you his standing.
The Prophet here addresses the cities which were on the borders
of the kingdom of Israel, and through which the enemy would pass in
entering the kingdom of Judah. He therefore bids the inhabitants of
the city Saphir to pass over, and says, that the city would be
ashamed or in a shameful manner naked. The word "shafir" means
splendid. He then says, "Thou art now beautiful, but the Lord will
discover thy shame, so that thy nakedness shall be a shame to all,
and the greatest disgrace to thyself." There is a correspondence in
the words, though not an alliteration. Hence the Prophet says, that
though the city was called splendid, it would yet be deformed, so
that no one would deign to look on it, at least without feeling
shame. There is the same correspondence in the word Zaanan; for
"tsa'ah" means to transfer, as "tsa'an" is to migrate. Hence the
Prophet says, Go forth shall not the inhabitant of Zaanan for the
mourning of Beth-Aezel; that is, he will remain quiet at home: this
he will do contrary to what will be natural; for whence is the name
of the city? even from removing, for it was a place of much traffic.
But he will remain, he says, at home: though he may see his
neighbors dragged into exile, he will not dare to move from his
place.
He now adds, "Take will the enemy from you his station". The
verb "'amad" means to stand; nor is there a doubt but that when the
Prophet says, He will take from you his standing, he speaks of the
standing or station of the enemy: but interpreters however vary
here. Some understand, that when the enemy had continued long in the
land, they would not depart before they possessed the supreme power;
as though he said, "Ye will think that your enemy can be wearied out
with delay and tediousness, when not able soon to conquer your
cities: this, he says, will not be the case; for he will resolutely
persevere, and his expectation will not disappoint him; for he will
receive the reward of his station, that is, of his delay." But some
say, "He will receive his station from you." They explain the verb
"lakach" metaphorically, as meaning to receive instruction from hand
to hand; as though the Prophet had said, "Some," that is, "your
neighbors, will learn their own position from you." What does this
mean? Zaanan will not go forth on account of the mourning of its
neighbouring city Aezel: others will afterwards follow this example.
How so? For Zaanan will be, as it were, the teacher to other cities;
as it will not dare to show any sign of grief for its neighbors,
being not able to succor them; so also, when it shall be taken in
its turn into exile, that is, its citizens and inhabitants, its
neighbours will remain quiet, as though the condition of the
miserable city was no object of their care. "They shall then learn
from you their standing;" that is, "Ye will remain quiet and still,
when your neighbors will be destroyed; the same thing will
afterwards happen to you." But as this bears but little on the main
subjects we may take either of these views. It afterwards follows -
Micah 1:12
For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil
came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
The Prophet joins here another city even Maroth, and others
also in the following verses. But in this verse he says, that Maroth
would be in sorrow for a lost good. The verb "chul" means to grieve;
and it has this sense here; for the Marothites, that is, the
inhabitants of that city, would have to grieve for losing their
property and their former happy condition. But as the verb means
also to expect, some approve of a different exposition, that is, -
that the inhabitants of the city Maroth would in vain depend on an
empty and fallacious expectation, for they were doomed to utter
destruction. In vain then will the inhabitant of Maroth expect or
entertain hope; for an evil descends from Jehovah to the gate of the
city. This view is very suitable, that is, that its hope will
disappoint Maroth, since even the city of Jerusalem shall not be
exempted. For though God had then by a miracle delivered the chief
city, and its siege was raised through the intervention of an angel,
when a dreadful slaughter, as sacred history records, took place;
yet the city Maroth was not then able to escape vengeance. We now
see the reason why this circumstance was added. Some give a harsher
explanation, - that the citizens of Maroth were to be debilitated,
or, as it were, demented. As this metaphor is too strained, I
embrace the other, - that the citizens of Maroth would grieve for
the loss of good, or that they would vainly expect or hope, since
they were already doomed to utter ruin, without any hope of
deliverance.
But we must notice, that evil was nigh at hand from Jehovah,
for he reminds them, that though the whole country would be
desolated by the Assyrians, yet God would be the chief leader, since
he would employ the work of all those who would afflict the people
of Israel. That the Jews then, as well as the Israelites might know,
that they had to do, not with men only, but also with God, the
celestial Judge, the Prophet distinctly expresses that all this
would proceed from Jehovah. He afterwards adds -
Micah 1:13
O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast:
she [is] the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the
transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
By bidding the citizens of Lachish to tie their chariots to
dromedaries he intimates that it would not be not safe for them to
remain in their city, and that nothing would be better for them than
to flee elsewhere and to carry away their substance. "Think," he
says, "of flight, and of the quickest flight." The word "rechesh",
which I render dromedary or camel, is of an uncertain meaning among
the Hebrews; some render it swift horses: but we understand the
Prophet's meaning; for he intimates that there would be no time for
flight, except they made great haste, for the enemies would come
upon them quickly.
And he then subjoins that that city had been the beginning of
sin to the Jews; for though he names here the daughter of Zion, he
still includes, by taking a part for it the whole, all the Jews. And
why he says that Lachish had been the beginning of sin to the
citizens of Jerusalem, we may collect from the next clauses, "In
thee," he says, "were found the transgressions of Israel". The
citizens of Lachish were then, no doubt, the first who had embraced
the corruptions of Jeroboam, and had thus departed from the pure
worship of God. When, therefore, contagion had entered that city, it
crept, by degrees, into neighbouring places, until at length, as we
find, the whole kingdom of Judah had become corrupt: and this is
what the Prophet repeats more fully in other places. It was not then
without reason that he denounces desolation here on the citizens of
Lachish; for they had been the authors of sin to their own kindred.
However alienated the ten tribes had become from pure faith and pure
worship, the kingdom of Judah remained still upright, until Lachish
opened the door to ungodly superstitions; and then its superstitions
spread through the whole of Judea. She therefore suffered the
punishment which she deserved, when she was drawn away into distant
exile, or, at least, when she could not otherwise escape from
danger, than by fleeing into some fear country, and that very
swiftly. "She is the beginning", he says, "of sin to the daughter of
Zion". How so? For in thee - (it is more emphatical when the Prophet
turns his discourse to Lachish itself) - in thee, he says, were
found the transgressions of Israel. It follows -
Micah 1:14
Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moreshethgath: the houses of
Achzib [shall be] a lie to the kings of Israel.
Here the Prophet alludes to another thing, - that they would
attempt to pacify their enemies with gifts, and would try to redeem
themselves and their neighbors. But the Prophet expressly mentions
this, that the event might teach them that nothing happens without a
design; for it ought to work a greater conviction in blind and
obstinate men, when they see that they really find that to be true
which had been long before predicted. This, then, is the reason why
the Prophet enumerates here various particulars; it was, that the
hand of God might be more evident and conspicuous when he would
begin, in an especial manner, to fulfill all the things which he now
in words foretells, Thou, he says, wilt send a gift for
Moreseth-gath; that is, for a neighboring city. And he calls it
Moreseth-gath, to distinguish it from another city of the same name.
Thou wilt then send gifts for Moreseth-gath, to the sons of Achzib
for a lie. "'Achziv" is a word derived from one which means a lie.
There is, therefore, a striking alliteration, when he says, Thou
wilt send gifts to the sons of "'Achziv", for a lie, "le'achziv";
that is Thou wilt send gifts to the sons of a lie, for a lie. The
city had obtained its name from its fallacies or guiles. And he
says, for a lie to the kings of Israel; because it profited the
children of Israel nothing to pacify them with gifts or to attempt
to draw them to their side, as they hired the services of one
another. So then he says, that they would be for a lie to the kings
of Israel, for they would gain nothing by having many auxiliaries.
Some take the words actively, - that the kings of Israel had first
deceived the citizens of Achzib: but this view is less probable; I
am therefore disposed to adopt the other, - that though the citizens
of Lachish tried to conciliate their neighbors with a great sum of
money, especially the people of Achzib, this would be yet to no
purpose; for it would be a lie to the people of Israel: or, it may
be, that the Prophet's meaning is this, - that the citizens of
Achzib had already wished to bring aid, but in vain to the kings of
Israel; for Lachish was one of the first cities which the Assyrians
conquered; but it was within the kingdom of Judah, or on its
borders. It is then probable that the kings of Israel had recourse
to the aid of this people, and were not assisted. Now, as the
citizens of Lachish also endeavored to extricate themselves from the
hand of their enemies by such aid, the prophet derides such a folly,
inasmuch as they did not become wise by experience, having seen with
their own eyes, that such an help had been useless and deceptive to
the kings of Israel: they ought then to have tried some other means
rather than to expose themselves to the same deceptions. I cannot
finish the chapter to-day.
Prayer.
Grant, Almighty God, that, being warned by so many examples, the
record of which thou hast designed to continue to the end of the
world, that we may learn how dreadful a judge thou art to the
perverse, - O grant, that we may not, at this day, be deaf to thy
teaching, which is conveyed to us by the mouth of thy Prophet, but
that we may strive to be so reconciled to thee, that, passing by all
men, we may present ourselves unreservedly to thee, so that, relying
on thy mercy alone which thou hast promised to us in Christ, we may
not doubt but thou wilt be propitious to us, and be so touched with
the spirit of true penitence, that, if we have been to others a bad
example and an offense, we may lead others to the right way of
salvation, and each of us may so endeavor to assist our neighbors in
a holy life, that we may together attain that blessed and celestial
life, which thine only-begotten Son has procured for us by his own
blood. Amen.
Calvin, Commentary on Micah, Part 2
(continued in part 3...)
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